Apparatus for treating flour.



C. HERENDEEN.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FLOUR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2B, 1913.

1,078,986. Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

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APPARATUS FOR TREATING FLOUR.

APPLICATION IILED JUNE 28, 1913.

1,073,986, Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

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APPARATUS FOR TREATING FLOUR APPLICATION IILEI) JUNE 2B, 1913.

Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

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((fp'zzesses C/aarles fiere/c dee/o W m WWW W M M a m CHARLES HERENDEEN,OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING. FLOUR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

Application filed June 28, 1913. Serial No. 776,306.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Oneness Hanna- DEEN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in .the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented a new .and useful Apparatusfor Treating Flour, .of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a machine for the treatment of flour by means ofwhich ordinary commercial flour, whether made from wheat, rye or othercereal having a high starch content may be so treated as to disrupt thestarch cells therein, whereby the nutritive value of the flour will beincreased, due to the fact that it is easier to digest, besides givingit a greater capacity for absorbing moisture than ordinary flourpossesses, whereby bread, pastry and other food products made from suchflour will remain fresh for a lon r time than those made from flour whichas not been so treated. V

With theioregoing and other objects in view my invention consists.broadly in causing the flour in a finely .divided condition .to

y be temporarily Suspended in the atmosphere,

and while suspended, providing .a means for injecting steam thereintoand thereatfter heating the flour, whereby the starch cells in theparticles of flour will be exploded.

' My inventionviurther consists in providing .a mechanism for separatingthe flour into particles and dropping it in the form of a shower betweena pair of flaking rolls, which are heated in any desired .Way to thenecessary temperature, the shower, just before it passes into the rolls,being subjected to jets of steam.

M y invention further consists in certain constructions, combinationsand arrangements of parts, the preferred form of which will be-firs'tdescribed in connection with the accompanying, drawings, and .then theinvention particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings herein designated, Figure 1' is a .-frontelevation of ma chine embodying my invention; 2 is a central, verticalsection taken on line 2 in Fig. l-andlooking in the direction of thearrow Fig-'3 n .section taken on :line 3 of Fig. 2 anddookinginthedirection of the arrow and Fig. .4 is-a section taken a plate 22.

on line 4 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrow.

5 designates a suitable supporting-frame provided inits upper portionwith bearings 6 for the shaft 7' of one of the flaking rolls 8. I havealso shown the upper portion of the frame as being provided with a yoke7 in which is mounted a sliding journalbox 10 for the shaft 1]. of theother flaking rol1 12. 13 indicates a set-screw bearing agalnst the .box10, whereby the roll 12 may be adjusted into the desired contact withroll 8. The particular construction of these parts forms no part of myinvention, and may be varied or changed as desired.

Supported on the cross-bar 14 of the firame 5 are the side plates 15 ofa box or casing, .and 16 and 17 are the front and rear plates of saidcasing, the casing extending overand inclosing the flaking rolls 8 and12, as best shown in Fig. 2. The box is also shown as provided with atop'or cover 18 into which extends the pipe 19,

through which the flour to be treated is fed, The pipe 19 fits into anyordinary or desired form of shaker which is adapted to separate theflour into particles and to deliver the same between the rolls 8 and 12in the form of a finely divided shower. I have illustrated one form ofwell-known shaker, though :the particular construction thereof forms nopart of my invention. The .shakcr shown comprises side plates 20, a rearplate 21 and an inclined bottom This shaker is supported at its rear bya spring arm 23 connected to the back plate '21 at one end, and to theunder side of the top 18 at the other. Secured to ;the side plates 20are brackets 24, which extend up through openings in cover and areconnected to rods 25, connected to cccentric straps 26, surroundingeccentrics 27, mounted on a shaft 28,supportcd in suitable bearings 29on the cover 19. I have also shown the shaft 28 as provided with apulley 30 for driving the same.

I have illustrated a plate 31 adjustably mounted on the front of thepipe 19 by the set-screws 32; the lower end of the plate extending downbelow the mouth of the pipe.

33 is .a' plate hinged at'34: to the rear plate 21 o." the casing, saidplate extending forwardly and its front end being supported by a rod 35extending upwardly through the top 18, the upper end of the rod beingsurrounded by the coil-spring 36, over which is adjustably secured thethumb-nut 37. v

The just described mechanism is a form of shaker well-known in the art,and it will be seen that flour dumped into the tube 19 will pass outonto the plate 33, thence beneath the lower edge of the plate 31 ontothe in-. cline shaker plate 22 and from thence in a ,fine shower downbetween the flaking rolls and 12. The flaking rolls 8 and 12 may beheated to a temperature sufficient to thoroughly dry the flour passingbetween them by any desired means. I have found, however, that for somereason, not necessary to be stated, that when the rolls are jackedtogether very tightly, as is necessary, that sufficicnt heat isgenerated in the rolls and a sufliciently high temperature maintained toproduce the necessary effects. The effect of injecting the steam intothe falling shower of flour and then immediately passing the flourbetween these tightly. pressed heated rolls is not only to dry out'theflour, but to produce the result I desire, namely, to disrupt .thestarch cells in each particle of the flour.

I have shown the pipe 38 as extending out from a pipe 40 connected tothe central portion of the pipe 38, and the pipe 40 being connected byan elbow 41 to a length of pipe 32, extending parallel to the pipe 38and through the side 15 of the box, and then connected by pipe 43 to asuitable source of steam supply. It will also be noted, that with thepipe arranged as shown, that the openings 39 therein cause the steamtherein to be directed into the shower of flour in a downward diagonaldirection. This, however, can be changed as desired. I have alsoillustrated a pair of scrapers 44 which are attached to scrape theflaked flour from the rolls 8 and 12.

The flour, after it has beensubjected to starch-cells will absorb agreater amount of moisture than ordinary flour, the amount of moisturein the bread or pastry can be increased and thus the time which saidbread or pastry can be kept without becoming stale is lengthened.

I realize that many variations are possible in the details of thepresent construction, without departing fromthe spirit of my invention,and, by having described the one embodiment thereof in detail, I do notin-' tend to be limited thereto, except as pointed out in the followingclaims, in which it is my intention to set forth all the noveltyinherent in the construction set forth in my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In amachine for treating flour, the combination with means for separatingthe flour into its particles, of means for subjecting the flour while inthis condition to the action of heat and moisture, and means forthereafter applying pressure to the flour.

jecting the flour while in this condition to the action of steam, andmeans for thereafter applying pressure to the flour.

In a machine for treating flour, the

combination with means for temporarily suspending the same in a finelydivided condition, of means for subjecting the flour while in thiscondition to the action of heat and moisture, and means for thereafterap plying pressure to the flour.

4. In a machine for treating flour, the combination with means fortemporarily suspending the same in a finely divided condition, of meansfor subjecting the flour while in this condition to the action of steam,and means for thereafter applying pressure to the flour.

5. In a machine for treating flour, the

combination with means for temporarily suspending the flour, in a finelydivided condition in the atmosphere, means for injecting.

steam into the suspended particles, and mean for immediately thereafterheatingt-he same and applying pressure thereto.

6. In a machine for treating flour, the

combination, with means to cause the flour combination, with shakermechanism adapted to cause the flour tn fall in a finely divided shower,a pair of tightly pressed rolls between which the flour falls, the rollsbeing maintained at a suitable heat to disrupt the starch-cells and drythe flour, and means for injecting steam into the falling shower.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

' CHARLES HERENDEEN.

In presence of two subscribing witnesses:

FRANCIS M. PHELPS, GEORGE J. IRVINE.

